Lady Joanna Lannister
by Aphroditethatsme
Summary: The beautiful, strong, intelligent Lady Joanna Lannister and her life story.


A Game of Chess

Lady Joanna was never one for following rules. She always did as she pleased. In fact, even when she was little, people used to call the little lion. It was a very fitting name, not only because of her houses sigil, her strength and thick-headedness, but also because of her beautiful, shining hair. Her hair of pure spun gold. She always kept it in a neat braid down her back.

"I will rip you apart if you come too close!" she had said to her father the first time he had called her his little lion. She had only been 5 back then. Men and women alike found it amusing, that such a small child, especially a girl, would say such a thing.

But Joanna truly was a lion though, and her words soon became more than a silly reply to her. They become her motto. Her shield to hide behind, but also her sword to truly rip anyone apart that came to close.

The childhood of Joanna Lannister was a short one. All too soon the sunny days by the sea turned to rainy autumn days spent in side with the maester's. The year of her 7th birthday the land was blessed with a long rich autumn and a short but frizzing winter.

Joanna was stuck inside all the same, learning to read and write and sew and how to speak to high lords and ladies. But she didn't mind too very much because with the art of reading came the pleasure of looking through every book in her uncle's library.

When spring finally came, Joanna had read each and every book in the library she could reach. The thick ones. The thin ones. Even the boring ones, that went on and on about birth rights and claims of land, when she ran out of books she could get to. But her favorite stories were always the girlish one. The ones of dashing knights and fare maidens.

"What? No! No brother, you can't do that! I was winning!" a little girls voice said, high with disappointment and anger. The sound made Joanna look up from her book, highly annoyed to be disturbed, even if she was only reading a book on the stars. For a second she was thinking of getting back to reading, but then she slammed the heavy book shut and looked at her surroundings. Joanna loved the smell of the old leather bound books with their brittle parchment pages and the wood of the shelves packed high with books.

"You're not allowed to do that!" she screeched even louder. From the sound of the voice, the girl was just about to start crying. It was a familiar voice. A voice Joanna had definitely heard before, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Joanna listened carefully to what the girls' brother might answer, but there was no reply.

Soon Joanna's curiosity got the best of her and she put her book aside and got up. Gently she brushed the folds on her dress down, pushed a stray curl of golden hair out of her face, then crossed the library in the direction of the voices. The library was huge but it wasn't very hard to figure out where the girl and her brother were seated for the girl was still complaining loudly. Quietly Joanna stepped behind a book shelf so she could watch them without them or anyone else seeing her.

Joanna peered around the shelf to take a good look at the two of them. The siblings were seated across from each other at one of the many Chess board tables in the Library. They both had beautiful golden hair, as she did. One look of them was enough to tell that they were most defiantly of Lannister blood. Another look, and Joanna knew exactly who they were. The plump girl, with the smooth face was the little Lady Genna Lannister. Joanna had played with her the many days she had spent on the beaches of Lannisport. Her and her brothers Tygett and Gerion. They had always been fun to play with. All that now seemed like a life time ago. The last time she had seen either of them must have been at least 2 years ago.

Genna had always been shapely, but she seemed to have gained the odd pound since the last time Joanna had seen her. This, of course, explained why she had known the voice.

The boy was tall, slender, with broad shoulders. It was clear right away that the boy, was not just any brother of bulgy little Genna, but the brother. Her oldest brother. _The_ Tywin Lannister. Future lord of Lannisters.

Joanna was sure she had seen _Lord_ Tywin before. On the beach, perhaps. Or on one of the autumn fests. She had never played with that one. He had always been a quiet one, she remembered. Oh he had changed. In his favor though.

"It's no fun to play with you if you always win!" the little girl pouted.

"I hardly forced you, Genna." he said with a shrug. Genna looked at her brother for a second.

"Well, I'm never playing with you ever again!" she announced, almost angrily now. "No matter how hard you beg!"

"Well _I_ won't beg, but I am always up for a good game." Joanna bursted out before thinking. Surprised, they both looked up. Now it was their turn to look for the source of a raised voice. The irony of it made Joanna stand in her hiding spot for a second longer, enjoying herself. Then she stepped out from behind the book shelf and gave the two of them a pleasant smile. "If you would let me play, that is."

The lordling seemed to get his wits back much quicker than the chubby little one, who was staring at Joanna with big eyes.

"Good day, my lady, I am Tywin, of house Lannister." He introduced himself with a slight bow. The way he said those simple, few words seemed somewhat strange to Joanna. The way he heald his head up high. The way his gorges green eyes filled with pride. As if he already was the lord of Casterly Rock. It was somewhat like her father held himself when he introduced himself as a Lannister. Not that that meant too much anymore. Or so the whispers of the servants and knights told each other.

But there was something attractive about his confidence. Something about his polite, unsmiling complexion was appealing to Joanna. At least that was so when she grew older and more understanding. For now she was just a little girl.

"I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, my lord!" she recited what she had been taught to say with another, more polite, smile and a quick curtsy. Then quickly, in an almost amused tone, she added, "I myself, go by the name of Joanna."

"And what a lovely name that is." Tywin replied, with the slightest hint of a smile visible on his lips. "That would be Joanna Lannister, I would assume?"

"Yes my lord, if that were you're assumption, then you would be assuming correctly." This time the shadow of a smirk upon Tywin's face lasted longer. It was most defiantly there. Even if it only lasted for a few seconds.

"Well, I was assuming that, yes. So, how about that game of chess, _sweat cousin_?" he asked, his sister completely forgotten. Joanna had almost forgotten her too. The game as well. Tywins words brought her back quickly.

"Why, yes, I would love to! That is, of course, if you like being beaten." Joanna added casually.

"If you think you can beat me, you are very welcome to sit."

Sure footedly the lordling walked around the chess table and lifted his sister out of the chair. The little girl wriggled around complaining loudly. The way she protested, Genna looked a little like a lion's cub between its mother's jaws. That moment passed quickly however and Tywin had put his little lion sister down and turned back to Joanna.

"Please, sit!" he said pulling out the chair for her to sit on. He was very polite, she noted dully. Joanna smiled at him cheerfully and sat.

"Thank you, my lord!"


End file.
